A Fork in the Road
by RupertsPheonix
Summary: Twenty-two-year-old Lily Potter has settled for a life of mundane work at Eeylop's Owl Emporium in the hazy hopes of becoming manager and having a life with the very attractive son of the shop keeper. But when her best friend comes back and offers her a chance at living her lifelong dream, she will have to face the fork in the road and make a choice. [OC/Lily/OC] [Mature content]
1. Chapter 1

**A Fork in the Road**

Story Disclaimer: I am not JKR. This universe and the characters you recognize belong solely to her.

_When making your choice in life, do not neglect to live. -Samuel Johnson_

**1**

Lily Potter stepped through the doorway to Eeylop's Owl Emporium. Her red hair was swinging in a long, straight ponytail behind her as she whistled and stepped toward the register. A slightly balding and heavy-set man stood behind the register counter, counting out change in knuts and sickles to a customer, holding a metal cage with a large tawny owl sleeping inside.

"There you are," the portly man behind the counter said, his cockney accent as heavy as his weight. "'Ave a good day, an' come back an' see us."

As the customer nodded and walked out of the shop, the man turned to Lily.

"All right, Lily," he said. As he smiled at her, his chubby cheeks bunched up and made his eyes appear very small. "Cages need 'a be cleaned today."

Lily smiled and nodded. "Sure thing, Edwin."

The redhead turned to the door behind the counter, opened it, and snatched up a bucket of cleaning supplies. She turned to leave the supply room and was confronted with a t-shirted chest. She looked to see her boyfriend, Tad Hornsby, smiling down at her.

"Hello, love," he said, bending down to kiss her.

She pushed him off quickly, but grinned nonetheless. "Tad, I'm at _work_."

He shrugged. "It's just home to me, Lily-Billy."

Tad's father was Edwin, the large man behind the counter. Edwin Hornsby was the owner of Eeylop's, having inherited the family business from when his mother, daughter of the original shop owner, had passed away several decades earlier. Edwin and his wife, now deceased, had raised their son on the profits from the family business, and Tad was set to take over the business when his father eventually retired.

Lily brushed past Tad, bumping him playfully with her hip, and set to work, magically making each sponge clean an owl cage. As the suds worked up, she went to pulling the food trays out and cleaning them and refilling them.

"Dad, can Lily take an extra half hour for lunch?" she heard Tad asking.

She turned around. "Tad, that really isn't necessary—"

"But I want you to," he said, almost pouting. Lily, unable to stop herself, grinned at him. It was hard to resist his nearly perfect face—dark eyes, dark hair, and dimples. She wasn't exactly sure why she ever even tried to deny Tad what he wanted; it seemed no one else did.

Edwin shrugged his thick shoulders. "Eh, fine by me, long as Lily 'ere makes up the time."

Lily nodded. "I'll stay an extra half hour at the end of my shift."

Tad smiled. "Thanks, Dad. Lily-Billy, love, I'll see you at noon then." He swooped down and planted a kiss on her lips before bounding out of the door, the bell on top ringing as it swung shut behind him.

Lily shook her head as she watched him go, and then turned back to her task. Cleaning the owl cages was never fun work—but if she got to it and really focused, she could be done by lunchtime.

As she worked, she thought about her boyfriend. Tad was a few years older she was, and he had attended Hogwarts with her older brother Albus and several of their cousins, although he'd been in Slytherin. When Lily thought about it, it seemed almost odd that she'd be dating a Slytherin, but really, the Weasley and Potter clans were used to their children dating all sorts—from Victoire dating Teddy Lupin to Rose dating Scorpius Malfoy. Her family had started out really liking Tad, actually.

At first, she had just gotten a summer job at Eeylop's to save up for what was supposed to be a post-Hogwarts trip around the continent with her best friend and fellow magical creatures-lover, Owen Thompson. Lily was obsessed with magical creatures and wanted to tour the world observing and journaling about creatures in their natural habitats. Her friend and housemate, Owen, had a similar passion for all magical beings, and they began planning their future travels together in their fourth year. By the end of fifth year, Owen already had a job—he helped in the summers at The Leaky Cauldron—and Lily decided that she needed something to do to save up her own funds for the trip.

It had originally been her Uncle George who suggested applying at Eeylop's. With his shop only down the street, he had gotten on friendly terms with Edwin and knew the wizard had wanted some part-time help. Lily's parents, Harry and Ginny Potter, had approved of the job right away; they suggested that it would be enjoyable to work with the owls and that it would be a good part-time job to list on a resume in the future, after Lily had finished schooling.

While Lily worked at the shop, she'd gotten to know the shop keeper's son very well. The dark haired boy, only a few years older than her, was handsome and somewhat mysterious at first. Tad loved to have fun, and, as one summer turned into the next and part-time turned into full-time, Lily began to love him.

Now, Lily's family despised her job and disapproved of Tad. After she left Hogwarts with seven NEWTs, her family could not understand why she didn't want to leave Eeylop's. She had tried explaining that Tad promised to make her manager and owl-trainer at the shop when his father retired. Lily argued that it would be a good opportunity and a steady job. Her parents and brothers (along with the rest of the family) thought she was wasting her talents to stay still in a stagnant situation.

Owen had gone on his trip around Europe without her. They still kept in touch, and Lily still considered him her best friend, but he was off pursuing his career—backpacking across the globe, taking notes on behalf of the Wizarding World Creatures' Cooperation, a group dedicated to preserving natural habitats for all wild magical creatures.

Owen would come back to Diagon Alley every once in a while, meet up with Lily, and tell her all about his adventures. She'd listen excitedly, relishing in the details of his encounters with grindylows and phoenixes, and then she'd go back to Tad and Eeylop's. She felt content with her situation; it was comfortable.

"Lily-Billy!"

Lily flicked her wand, making the sponge drop into the sudsy bucket with a small splash. She turned around to see Tad tapping his foot and looking at his watch.

"It's five after twelve," he said. He jerked his head toward the door and strode quickly out of it. Lily shrugged to Edwin, who had watched the encounter with a bemused expression, and ran after her boyfriend, toward one of the many small cafes lined down the alley.

Patience was not one of Tad's many assets—although, she had to admit to herself, his bum in those pants certainly was.

The Leaky Cauldron was very busy for a Thursday night. As soon as she'd gotten off of work for the evening, she'd come here to sit, nursing a butterbeer, beside Tad, who was joking and laughing over several firewhiskeys with his mates. Lily herself was not one for loud or lewd behavior, like Tad and his friends enjoyed, but she played the role of girlfriend well—quietly sitting at the table, nodding and smiling when necessary.

As Tad laughed loudly at a rather randy joke made by one of his mates, Lily looked over to the bar. Hannah Longbottom was flicking her wand to pour several drinks at a time. She looked pretty with her slightly greying hair up in a sloppy ponytail and her yellow apron tied around her waist. Her round-faced husband, Neville—a professor at Hogwarts, off of work for summer holiday—seemed to agree with Lily's observation as he stepped behind the bar and popped a kiss on his wife's smiling face.

Lily sighed, almost envious of the older couple. Neville and Hannah were very good friends of her family, both having gone to school with her father and having helped with the battle against Voldemort at Hogwarts.

She turned to Tad. "I'm going to go talk to Hannah," she said, rising from her chair.

"Grab me another whiskey while you're there, will you, Lily-Billy?"

Lily nodded her consent and took off to the bar. Hannah and Neville looked up as they poured drinks and handed them out.

"Lily!" Hannah said, her smile growing wide.

"Hi, Hannah, Neville."

Neville beamed. "How's it going?"

"Everything's going well. Looks like you've got some serious business booming tonight," Lily replied, slipping onto the only empty stool at the bar.

Hannah nodded happily. "It's really been doing well lately."

Neville poked his wife in the side. "It's all thanks to Hannah's new recipes and new décor."

"I noticed that you put out new table cloths and fresh flowers, and I _told_ Tad that the soup _had_ to have something extra in it," Lily said kindly.

She watched as Hannah smiled proudly. "Well, thank you, Lily, dear." Hannah raised an eyebrow. "Are you here to see Owen when he gets home?"

Lily blinked stupidly. "Owen's coming home?"

Owen was a muggleborn, but when his parents found out that he was accepted to a magical school and would be taught how to cast spells and brew potions, they had a fit and disowned him. Professor McGonagall, as headmistress of Hogwarts, talked to Neville and Hannah and arranged booking Owen a room in The Leaky Cauldron every summer. In the seven years that he'd needed a home, Neville and Hannah had gladly provided for him, and he had become somewhat of a surrogate son to the couple. Owen certainly loved the two as though they were his family.

Hannah looked confused as Neville replied, "Yes, he has a week off and said he was coming home for a bit. We thought he would've told you."

Lily opened her mouth to reply, but the front door of the pub swung open to show a man in a traveler's cloak and a knapsack in his hand. Lily's face broke out into a huge smile, and she nearly knocked over her stool as she hopped off of it, running and crashing into Owen's sturdy chest. He hugged her back with just as much enthusiasm, chuckling at her display of affection. Lily could feel the rumble in his chest, and she smelled the piney, musky smell that she always associated with Owen; she smiled at the familiarity.

"Hey," he said, pulling back and examining her face.

Lily looked up into his big, golden eyes, unbelievably happy to see her best friend. His dirty- blonde hair was cropped short, and he was much tanner than when she had last seen him. An earring hung from one ear.

"Hi," she said, almost breathless.

Owen was home.


	2. Chapter 2

**2**

Lily walked with Owen over to the bar, where he greeted Hannah and Neville, who had run from behind the counter to hug the closest thing they had to a son. Lily watched Hannah fret over Owen, saying things like "When did you decide an _earring_ would be a good addition?" and "Are you using enough sunblock while working, young man?"

Lily was smiling as she took in the pleasant scene before her, and a pinch on the bum took her by surprise. She let out a yelp and turned around, a glare already set on her face, when she saw Tad, suggestively wiggling his eyebrows.

"Ready to head to your place, Lily-Billy?" he asked, swinging an arm around her hips.

Lily shook her head. "Owen's home."

Tad's gaze darkened. "Great," he said sarcastically. "Look, Lily, just grab me my firewhiskey and come back to the table."

Lily felt Owen's eyes on her, so she turned away from him, looking straight at Tad. "I think you've had plenty to drink tonight, Tad."

Tad rolled his eyes. "I'm not even drunk. C'mon, Lily-Billy, just one more. Then we can get outta here and have our own fun." He gave her a little squeeze.

"You're being kind of crude," Lily pointed out in a hushed voice. "You've had plenty to drink."

Tad was looking more and more annoyed. "Fine, then let's just go back to your place."

Just as Lily was about to respond, she heard heavy footsteps approach them and looked up to see Owen standing beside her.

"Hey, Tad," Owen said, nodding his head in greeting. "Lily, are you going to stay for a bit?"

Lily didn't miss the (probably) involuntary squeeze of Tad's hand on her side. "Actually, I think I'm going to take him home, let him sleep off his firewhiskeys."

"I'm _not_ drunk," Tad stated firmly.

Owen grinned at Lily and turned to Tad. "Me either, mate."

"See, Lily-Billy? No one is drunk!"

Owen's face wrinkled in distaste. Lily knew he thought Tad's pet name for her was ridiculous. Owen himself had always called her "Lils," and he tended to think any other nickname was stupid in comparison. She ignored Owen's facial expression and turned to her boyfriend.

"Time to get you home," she said, putting an arm around him and propelling him toward the back door. She looked at Owen. "Will you be here tomorrow? I'm off work, and we can have brunch and catch up."

Her friend nodded. "Yeah, see you then, _Lils._"

Back at her flat, which was a one-bedroom apartment above a small café in Diagon Alley, only a moments' walk from Eeylop's, Lily forced Tad to sit down on the couch.

"I'll go get you a hangover solution," she offered. He didn't protest as she went into the kitchen to grab the blue vial. She poured a sizable amount into a small glass and stepped back into the living room.

Tad was gone, but his clothing was scattered across the couch and floor—a cloak across the cushions, a shirt on the floor, pants half in and half out of her bedroom. Even now as she approached the bedroom doorway, a pair of boxers came flying out and landed on her forehead.

She peeled the cloth from her face and tossed them on the ground.

Tad was lying completely starkers on top of the comforter, wiggling his… gentleman parts at her and winking repeatedly.

"Come and get it," he said, grinning widely.

Lily rolled her eyes. "Drink this, please," she said, handing him the glass of hangover solution. He looked skeptically at it, and Lily shoved it at him again. "It'll help prevent the hangover tomorrow."

He drank it in one gulp and smacked the glass down on Lily's beside table.

"I chugged that bitch," he said proudly. Then he belched.

"Yes," she sighed, defeated, "yes, you did."

"Now come here so we can fuck," he said boldly.

Lily sighed again. "Not tonight, Tad."

"But I want to," he whined.

"I'm going to put on pyjamas. You might as well try to get some sleep," she said, pulling a nightgown out of her dresser and heading to the bathroom to change.

When she re-emerged from the bathroom, Tad was sitting up, waiting for her.

"Are you ready now?" he asked, sounding irritated.

Lily shook her head. "We're _not_ having sex tonight." She pulled the comforter and sheets back and slipped inside, turning away from Tad and trying to settle in for bed. She felt Tad slip into the blankets as well and was just beginning to feel relieved that he'd finally gotten the message through his half-drunken stupor when he quickly raised her nightgown up and pressed his length against her bottom.

She gasped and flipped around, yanking her nightgown back down. "That's it, Tad. If you can't keep to yourself and just go to sleep, you'll be on the couch."

"Sensitive tonight, aren't you?" Tad said irritably, but rolled over anyway.

Lily woke to a familiar voice, whispering in her ear.

"Lily-Billy," Tad whispered, "its morning, Lily-Billy."

Lily's eyelids fluttered open. "Good morning," she said, looking into her boyfriend's dark eyes. She watched as his eyes closed, and she followed suit to meet his lips with a kiss. He deepened the kiss almost immediately, and Lily allowed him, relishing in him this morning.

He pulled away for a moment and whispered, "I'm sorry about last night, love. Won't you let me make it up to you?"

She nodded. "Yes."

He kissed her again, and as he plunged his tongue into her mouth in the way that she had begun to associate only with him, his hands went to the hem of her nightgown and began to lift it up. They broke their kiss as Tad pulled the nightdress over her head, and she watched his delighted grin as he saw that she was wearing no undergarments.

And then he'd dragged himself on top of her quickly, readying himself. Lily breathed quickly in anticipation and her breath hitched as he entered her, still as surprising as the first time. He kissed her again as he began to rock her body, and she was suddenly and completely lost in Tad.

It was only a little while later, when Lily was kissing down Tad's thin but fit body, watching his hands grasp the mattress in heat and anticipation and absolute lust, that there was a hard pounding on the front door.

Lily got up, much to Tad's disappointment (which he verbalized with a "Fucking really?"), and wrapped herself in the comforter, which rested, forgotten, on the carpeted floor. She nearly tripped over the blanket as she stumbled to the door. Tad was still swearing loudly in the bedroom, and she was laughing when she swung the door open.

"Lils?"

She froze as she saw her best friend in the doorway.

Owen's jaw dropped. Lily stared at him, suddenly very aware that she was dressed in a comforter, her hair probably looking like a bird's nest. She felt herself going quite red in the face.

Owen was the first to speak. He rubbed his hand across the back of his neck awkwardly. "Am I interrupting something?"

Lily opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Just as she was about to try to speak again, she heard footsteps coming from the bedroom.

"Lily-Billy? Are you coming back to remedy this rather _large_ situation for me or what?"

"Dammit," she cursed quietly, closing her eyes and wishing that none of this was happening.

"Oh, hey, Owen," Tad said casually, although Lily was certain she could hear the smirk in his voice; Tad had always distrusted Lily's friendship with Owen and was not particularly fond of her oldest and best friend.

Owen coughed.

Lily opened her eyes and threw her friend an apologetic glance before looking back at her boyfriend, who was covering his privates with a pillow. She let out an embarrassed sigh as she turned to Owen once more.

"I, er, I wanted to make sure you were okay," he said lamely. "You missed brunch."

Lily glanced at the clock above the stove. Twelve thirty-seven. How long had she slept in, and, good gracious, how long had she and Tad been fooling around?

"I am so sorry, Owen," she said, even more embarrassed as she remembered—again—that she was wrapped in her blanket. "Wait just a minute—I'll just go grab some clothes, and we can go eat. I'm so sorry!"

She turned to dash back into the bedroom but tripped over the comforter and fell backwards onto the floor. The blanket slipped a bit and revealed her left breast.

Owen turned bright pink. "I'll meet you at the café downstairs," he said, dashing away.

Lily burst into tears. "That was so embarrassing!"

Tad shrugged and tossed the pillow down on the sofa, standing naked before her.

"Want to finish what we started?"

Lily cried even harder.


	3. Chapter 3

**3**

Fifteen minutes later, Lily joined Owen at a small table in the café below her apartment. She was still blushing, but she was determined to ignore the entire situation. Owen, it seemed, had planned otherwise.

"I didn't know you were shagging him now," he said bluntly.

Lily blinked. "We've been together for five years… And it's not exactly something you write in a letter…"

Owen stared at her, his golden eyes seemingly torn between anger and disappointment. "So you've been shagging him for a while then?"

She reddened. "That's none of your business, Owen."

"Do your brothers know?"

"It's none of their business either!"

Owen shrugged. "I think it is. I think somebody ought to step in and tell you to stop making bad decisions, especially when it comes to this guy."

Lily was seething, although she wasn't sure if it was more from embarrassment or the insulting manner in which Owen spoke about Tad. "_This guy_ happens to be my boyfriend, Owen. You know, the one who has spent the last several years with me while you've been off gallivanting across the globe!"

Owen looked livid. "Oh, you mean on the trips you promised you'd take with me? Yeah, I've been off, having great adventures, Lils, and you've been sitting here, rotting away with stupid Tad and that stupid owl shop."

"Shut up, Owen," she hissed, trying to keep her volume down in the café. "You have no idea what my life is like."

"You're exactly right, Lily. I have no idea—because you _never_ talk to me. I hardly ever hear from you, and then when I surprise you by showing up, I find out you're not just dating Tad, but you're also screwing around with the complete prick!"

"He isn't a prick!"

"What if you get pregnant?"

Lily's mouth snapped closed. She hadn't expected that rebuttal.

Owen shook his head—clearly his disappointment was winning out over his anger. "Lily, if you got pregnant by him, you'd never be able to leave this place. You'd be stuck here, with some stupid job cleaning owl cages forever."

Lily was frustrated. "I've told you the plan—I'm going to be promoted to manager and owl trainer—"

"And how's that plan working for you so far? You're still cleaning cages, aren't you?"

Lily felt his eyes on her face, and she instantly looked down at the table. She felt more exposed and embarrassed now than she had upstairs when the blanket fell off of her. And then suddenly Owen's large hand was lifting her chin up, forcing her to look into his eyes. He seemed concerned.

"You deserve better than cleaning cages, Lily. You deserve better than distant promises of being a manager of some pet shop."

"But I love him."

Owen sighed. "Does he love you enough to let you do something else? Something for yourself?"

Lily rested her elbows on the table and sank her head into her hands. "I guess we'll find out if an opportunity ever arises."

Owen, to Lily's surprise, grinned. "Well, I guess you're going to find out then."

Lily raised an eyebrow.

Owen pulled a piece of folded parchment out of his shirt pocket. "This," he said, waving the parchment around, "is your acceptance letter from the Wizarding World Creatures' Cooperation. Congratulations—you've been accepted to enter our training program."

"Excuse me?" Lily asked, baffled.

Owen, it seemed, couldn't stop grinning. "Albus and James helped me fill out the application. Then all we had to do was forge your signature."

Lily was growing angry. "You had no right to do that, Owen!" She snatched the paper from his hands.

"You're right," he said, holding his hands up in defeat. "I had no right. Just look at the information, okay? Besides, it's just a training program. There's no commitment beyond two weeks."

Lily glared at him, but could not help her curiosity at the parchment she now held in her hands. At first, when Owen had been waving around the folded letter, it seemed as though it were only one piece of parchment, but when she snatched it from her friend's hands, it was much heavier than she'd expected.

"Just promise you'll read it, Lils?" he asked.

She glared at him again for good measure, but nodded. "Fine. But I'm still mad at you."

He shrugged and began to stand up.

"We haven't even gotten anything to eat," Lily said, feeling disappointed.

"Then next time, get out of bed on time for brunch," Owen said pointedly. "I've promised Hannah and Neville I'd spend the afternoon with them today."

Lily nodded. "Tell them I said hello."

Owen leaned over the table and hugged her rather unexpectedly. "I've missed you, Lils."

She hugged him back. "I've missed you, too, Owen."

He then did something more than surprising to Lily—he kissed her on the cheek. It wasn't that such an act was wrong or even felt wrong, but rather, the surprise came because he had never done that before. The most intimate the two of them had ever been was embracing and sharing secrets, but he had _never_ kissed her on the cheek.

He was slightly pink when he pulled away, but Lily smiled at him and he smiled easily back, before heading off to meet up with Hannah and Neville.

Lily looked at the letter in her hands. She unfolded it carefully and began to read.

_Dear Miss Potter,_

_We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted into the Wizarding World Creatures' Cooperation._

_Your training will begin on July the first. This training is intense field work, and you will be required to work with a group of certified WWCC magizoologists for two weeks. At the end of your two weeks, your fellow field magizoologists will evaluate you. Your evaluation will be a major component of the WWCC's hiring decision._

_For more information on your training, please see page two. For more information on the WWCC, please see page three._

_Thank you and we look forward to your work in the field._

_Yours,_

_Lyell Harding_

_CEO of WWCC_

Lily hurriedly flipped to page two, where she saw the names of the magizoologists she would be working alongside. Gretchen Freedman, Vladimir Randolph, Valerie Randolph, and—Lily filled with excitement—Owen Thompson.

The information included the meeting place and time for the two week session, as well as a list of necessities to pack for the trip.

By the time she was done reading over all of the information, Lily felt like she was over the moon with the possibilities that this presented her. She couldn't even find it within herself to be angry anymore with Owen or her brothers for submitting her application and forging her signature. She folded the parchment back up, stuffed it in her jeans pocket, and bounded upstairs to her apartment.

She opened the door, ready to run to her bedroom and start packing (even if she did still have a week before having to leave), and saw Tad sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee.

Her heart sank.

Reality hit her like a bludger. She hadn't even thought about Tad since Owen left her with the WWCC information. What would she tell him? She couldn't just up and leave… And she had her apartment and her job to worry about. How could she have even entertained the thought of leaving Diagon Alley, let alone the country?

"Hey, love," Tad said, smiling at her. "You're back earlier than I thought you'd be."

Lily nodded. "Yeah, Owen was going to spend the afternoon with Hannah and Neville, and I… thought I'd come back and see you before you left."

"About that," Tad said, taking a gulp of coffee. "I was thinking, maybe it's time we move in together."

Lil blinked, at a total loss for words. "What?"

Tad raised his eyebrows. "We have been dating for like five years, Lily-Billy."

She nodded, waiting for him to continue. She knew something was going on—she had asked Tad if he wanted to live together multiple times before, and he had always said they were too young to act like a married couple or that he wasn't ready to move out yet. She folded her arms across her chest.

"When do you propose we do this?" she asked carefully.

"Today?" he suggested.

Lily laughed. "You're kidding, right?"

He shrugged.

"Why so soon?" she asked, unsettled that he was being serious.

He shrugged again. "Dad and I may have had an argument yesterday, before I got to the Leaky Cauldron."

She felt her eyebrows raising high on her forehead. Her father always said she got that look from her mother.

"About what?"

"He was in a bad mood, yelled at me for the usual stuff—not helping enough at the shop or at the house," Tad explained. "He told me I was no longer welcome at the shop or home."

Lily felt a sinking sensation in her stomach. The shop... Edwin had finally had enough of his twenty-four year old son acting like a seventeen year old and had kicked him out and fired him. Lily felt ready to cry. If Tad was in anyway disowned or kicked out of the family business, her chances of becoming manager and owl trainer were gone. Their future, the entire reason she always stood up for her relationship with Tad and her job at Eeylop's… everything was gone, unfounded now.

Suddenly the folded parchment in her jeans pocket felt very welcoming.


	4. Chapter 4

**4**

Lily had muttered some excuse to Tad about having to visit her family for dinner, and she hurriedly Disapparated to her eldest brother's house.

She knocked on the front door rapidly. The door swung open, and Andria, James' fiancé, opened the door. Her blonde hair was curled around her face, as usual, and she had a very pretty dress on.

"Lily," she said, not hiding her surprise.

Lily smiled. "Hi, Andria. I hope this isn't a bad time, but I really need to talk to my brother. Can I come in?"

Andria blinked. "Well, James is actually getting the grill ready—we're having some friends over tonight—"

"So they aren't here yet? I won't stay long," Lily said quickly, stepping through the door and pushing herself past Andria. "JAMIE!" she yelled, using the childhood nickname she and Albus had used for James so many years ago.

James popped his head into the entry way from the kitchen. "Lily!"

"I need to talk to you," she said, feeling desperate.

James looked concerned. He glanced at his fiancé and said kindly, "Could you give us a minute, Andria?"

The blonde girl nodded, but looked very uncomfortable. Lily supposed it was rather rude of her to show up unannounced like this, but there were times a girl just had to talk to her brother. Now was definitely one of them.

James pulled Lily into the kitchen. "Andria's obsessing over this stupid dinner party," he said, grabbing a few grilling supplies and leading Lily to the back patio. Lily noted that James looked very smart in a button down shirt and ironed black trousers. "You okay, Lily?"

"I know about WWCC."

James winced. "Are you pissed?"

Lily shook her head. "I was, but I got over it. But now I have a huge dilemma." She jumped into telling him about seeing Owen and then about Tad wanting to move in and about how he was fired from his dad's shop.

After she finished her story, she watched as her eldest brother ran a hand through his hair—a family habit—and sighed.

"Lily," James said, sounding cautious, "you need to tell Tad about WWCC. This could be your big shot, and if you miss it, you'll regret it for the rest of your life. Besides, it'll give him two weeks to decide what he's going to do now that he doesn't have his father's shop to depend on."

Lily nodded. She knew James was right. If she didn't at least go to the two-week training session, she would always wonder what could have been. And if she stayed in Diagon Alley, she would be stuck with Tad while he tried to figure out what he was going to do to support himself.

"How do I tell him?"

James grinned slightly. "If it were me, I'd say, 'hey, prick! I'm going to leave the country—have fun!'"

Lily rolled her eyes. James was about as fond of Tad as Owen was, and the second eldest Potter child—their brother Albus—was even less fond of her boyfriend.

"It'll be fine, Lily," James said, clapping a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "If he wants what's best for you, he'll encourage your dreams, not diminish them."

"Thanks, Jamie."

"Anything for you."

She hugged him quickly, then turned to leave. As she headed out, her brother's voice called her back.

"Lily? You're going to be amazing in the field, you know."

She beamed. "Love you, Jamie."

Lily stirred the pot of lamb stew nervously. She was going to tell Tad about her acceptance into the WWCC during dinner. Currently, he was snoring loudly on the sofa, his feet dangling over the armrest.

She stirred the stew quickly, then dumped a ladle inside and pulled out a large portion of the salty broth and chunks of potato and lamb meat, dipping them into a bowl.

"Dinner? Good, I'm starving," Tad yawned, coming into the kitchen and taking the bowl from her hands.

Lily filled her own bowl with stew and sat down at the table across from Tad. She took in his appearance as he ravenously ate; he was devilishly handsome—dark hair, dark eyes, dimples that made her heart melt. It was going to be ridiculously hard to leave him for two weeks.

"Tad," she said carefully, "we should talk—you know, about our careers. See, now that you're out of the shop, I don't have a future there, and I have a possible future somewhere else." There, she'd said it. Phew.

Tad set his spoon down rather forcefully. "Somewhere else?"

Lily's heart began to race. "Yes. See, my brothers and Owen sent in my application for the Wizarding World Creatures' Cooperation, and I was accepted."

"What the fuck does that mean?"

She tried to remain calm and remember that often Tad's temper got the better of him, but it didn't mean he didn't love her. "It means that I have a two-week training course to attend."

Tad shook his head angrily. "This is all _Owen's_ fault. I'm going to kill that stupid mother fu—"

"Tad!"

"What? It _is_ his fault. If he didn't keep coming back and screwing things up, we'd be _fine_. Perfectly fine."

"I don't want to just be _fine_, Tad. I want to be more than fine and more than content. Don't I deserve that? Doesn't everyone deserve that?"

She wasn't sure when tears had begun to form, but they were steadily flowing down her face as she spoke. She wiped furiously at them.

"I don't understand why you'd want to leave me."

He was being stubborn and self-centered again. Lily rolled her eyes.

"This isn't about _you_, Tad; it's about me. I can't commit to living with someone who has no idea what they're going to do with their life, and I don't even know what I'm doing with my own life anymore. I need these few weeks to determine what makes _me_ happy, and you need to figure out what you're going to do for a job."

Tad smacked his fist down on the tabletop and stood. "Fine, Lily, whatever." He shoved his chair away from him and stormed out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

"Tad, please!" But it was too late—she door had slammed shut behind him before she even called his name, and Lily shoved her stew away from herself and let her head fall in her hands.


	5. Chapter 5

**5**

It had been an hour and a half since Tad had stormed angrily out of the apartment, and Lily had cried until she feared she would dehydrate herself. She was scrubbing the dishes from dinner when she heard a knock at her front door.

Lily curiously went to the door and swung it open.

"What are you three doing here?" she asked, suddenly unable to hide her delight. Before her stood James, Albus, and Owen, grinning at her.

Lily stepped aside and let the three of them into her flat, hugging them each as they came inside. Owen stepped in last, giving her a prolonged hug and another quick kiss on the cheek.

"So, Lily, are you completely pissed at us?" Albus asked, plopping down onto her sofa.

"For what, Al? For forging my name and sending my application in without my permission?" She walked into her kitchen and grabbed each of them a butter beer.

"Er, yeah…"

Lily laughed and handed each of them a bottle. "Don't worry about it." She plopped down on the arm of the beaten up chair that Owen was occupying. "I can't stay mad at you lot for long."

Owen grinned at her as he twisted the cap off of his drink. Lily found his smile contagious, and she almost forgot about her fight with Tad.

"So James says you were going to tell Tad about WWCC?" Albus asked, and then took a swig of his butter beer.

Lily nodded, twisting her own bottle in her hands. "I talked to him this evening, actually…"

James grimaced. "Didn't go the way you wanted it to?"

She shrugged, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "That's an understatement. He kind of… yelled and left. I think he'll be back—he usually comes back in a few hours."

"Usually? Has this happened before?" Owen, she realised, wasn't asking her but rather, her brothers.

"Yeah, the bloke is a prick," Albus said, taking another swig of his drink. Lily started to open her mouth to defend her boyfriend, but then she remembered how Tad had stormed out, and she closed her mouth, unable to argue with her brothers at the moment.

"You have any food, Lily?" James asked. "I'm starving."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Didn't you just host a dinner party?"

James waved her off. "Like three hours ago—can't a guy be hungry?"

Lily rolled her eyes but made her way into the kitchen to get her guests a snack. As she was putting together a tray of biscuits, she heard the front door open and held her breath anxiously.

"What the fuck are you lot doing here?" she heard Tad ask.

"We could ask you the same," Al spat.

Lily turned around to see Albus, James, and Owen all standing and glaring at her boyfriend. She quickly grabbed the tray of biscuits and a butter beer for Tad and swept into the sitting room. She popped a kiss on Tad's cheek and handed him the bottle.

"Hi," she said, trying to smile. "Why don't we all just sit down and take a breath?"

When no one moved, she sat the biscuits down on the coffee table and gestured to them. Luckily, James grabbed a biscuit and settled onto the sofa, and the other boys followed, finding their own seats. Lily started to sit by Owen again, and then realised that would cause more tension in an already awkward situation. She stood behind the ladder-back chair in which Tad sat stiffly.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Owen spoke up. "So, Tad… What're you planning on doing while Lily and I are away?"

Tad's brow furrowed fiercely. "You're going too? Are you fucking joking?"

Lily thought her eyes might pop out of her head. She had specifically avoided mentioning her placement in Owen's group for fear of a confrontation, and yet, it seemed it was unavoidable.

"I thought you knew… she's going to be training with my crew."

Tad stood up and stepped angrily toward Owen, who jumped up at the threat. Tad shoved a finger toward Owen's t-shirted chest. "Don't even attempt to fuck with my girl, Thompson."

Lily ran in between them, but her brothers (she vaguely wondered when they had gotten off of the sofa) pulled her back.

Owen shoved Tad backwards. "As far as I'm concerned, Lily is not _your_ girl."

Tad stepped forward, chest puffed out. "I'm warning you: _don't touch my girlfriend_."

"Please stop," Lily shrieked. Both Tad and Owen turned to look at her. "Just stop it! This is stupid—I don't belong to you, Tad, and Owen isn't a threat. So can we just stop fighting?"

"Not a threat?" Tad looked furious. "You're leaving the country with him, Lily! What in the hell am I supposed to think? Why shouldn't I be threatened if he swoops in and takes my girlfriend on some extended holiday across the continent?"

"It's not a holiday," Lily said, exasperated. "It's _training_… It's work, Tad."

Tad rolled his eyes.

"Lily needs to do this," James said, stepping toward Tad. "And you need to figure out what you're doing. As long as Lily is here, you have somewhere to live and someone to take care of you. If she stays here, you'll never figure out what you want to do."

Lily smiled at her big brother and then turned to her boyfriend. "He's right, Tad. I have to go talk to your dad tomorrow about working for the final few days that I'm here, but I'm going to go to training. You can't convince me not to—I'm sorry."

Tad shook his head, and Lily couldn't tell if it was with anger or sadness. "I never thought you'd do this. Where am I supposed to live? And what am I going to do without you?"

Lily felt her brothers and Owen's presences around her, but she stepped toward Tad anyway, reaching a hand up to touch his face softly.

"You'll be okay. I bet that my landlady would let us switch the lease to your name, and you could just start paying rent and living here after I've moved out."

Tad reached up and covered her hand with his own. "Does this mean we're breaking up?"

Lily thought she saw a shadow of sadness come over him. She could practically feel everyone freeze with anticipation for her response. She wanted to be able to go to training without any guilt or lingering thoughts about Tad, but she also couldn't help the way her heart melted at one glance into Tad's beautiful, now saddened dark eyes.

"We're… taking a break," she compromised. "I need to see how training goes. Then, when I get back, we'll see where we are. It'll give you time to get a new job and figure out what you want, and it'll give me the chance to see what I could be missing out on."

To her surprise, Tad nodded and released her hand. "I guess I'll… go, then. We can meet up before you leave to figure out the lease."

Lily let her hand drop to her side as he walked to the door.

"Bye," she whispered.


	6. Chapter 6

**6**

"Lils, I am so sorry," Owen said, hugging her.

Lily knew she should be fuming with Owen for arguing with Tad like he had, but she was so distraught by her almost break-up that she didn't feel capable of _feeling_ anything else.

She buried her head into Owen's t-shirted chest and cried. He had that signature piney, musky scent that Lily only associated with him, and it brought her some sense of comfort as she soaked his shirt with her tears. She felt his large hand come to rest on the back of her head, playing soothingly with a few strands of her red hair.

"Lily," James asked, and she pulled away from Owen to look at both of her brothers. "I'm sorry…"

"No you're not," she said, trying to grin good-naturedly but failing. "None of you are—you all hate Tad."

"But we love you," Albus said, setting his butter beer down on the coffee table and reaching out to pat his sister on the shoulder. "We don't like him, and we don't want you to date him, but we _are_ sorry that you're hurt."

"I know… Thanks." She looked around and sighed. "Do you guys care if I just call it a night? I think I could use a little bit of sleep."

"Sure, Lily," James said. "I should probably get home before Andria gets too worried anyway."

Lily hugged each of them and sent them on their way. She quickly cleaned up the apartment and then changed into some pyjamas. Just as she was settling down into her covers, she heard a knock at her front door. She sighed—she had had one too many knocks at her door today. She reluctantly swung her legs off of the bed and went to the doorway.

She swung open the wooden door and was surprised to see Owen, standing in his flannel pyjama pants and a t-shirt, holding a brown-paper market bag.

"Hi," he said, grinning.

"Hi."

"I know you said you wanted to get some sleep, but you've had a rough day, and I thought I'd bring over the remedies."

Lily grabbed his arm and pulled him into her flat. "You're my best friend, Owen—you don't have to explain why you're here."

"But you want to know what's in the bag, right?" Owen's grin widened in amusement.

"Of course!"

He stepped into the kitchen and set the bag on the table. Lily laughed as he pulled out a bottle of her favourite muggle wine—white zinfandel—and a pint of her favourite muggle ice cream—cherry vanilla.

"Owen, you are the best."

"But, wait, you haven't seen the best part, Lils!" He reached into the bottom of the bag and pulled out a muggle DVD.

"_Mary Poppins_! Owen, you aren't just the best—you're an _angel_!"

"I had to make a special trip, but I think it'll be worth it. You still have your muggle TV set, don't you?"

Lily nodded. "It's set up in my room. Go ahead and put the movie in, and I'll grab two spoons and two wine glasses!"

Lily licked her spoon gluttonously. In just under an hour, she and Owen had already devoured the pint of cherry vanilla ice cream and were half way through the bottle of wine. They were lounging comfortably on her bed—she was sinking into the pillows behind her and Owen was lying on his side, facing her, his head propped up on his elbow.

"I love this movie—thank you so much for bringing it over, Owen."

He swallowed his sip of wine and nodded. "No problem … I've missed this—you know, the two of us, hanging out."

She looked up into his golden eyes and smiled. "Me, too. I've missed having you around."

"I guess we're going to remedy that problem—at least for a few weeks." He grinned. "You're going to love it, Lils. Just wait until you get in the field and you get to actually work with the creatures… And the rest of the crew—you're going to _love_ them."

"I'm sure I will."

Lily supposed Owen could sense her anxiety.

"Don't be nervous, Lils. And don't worry about Tad either, all right?"

She nodded, but bit her lip apprehensively.

"Lily, he has a few weeks to figure out what he wants and so do you. Let yourself experience a few weeks without him and without worrying about him. You can come back after training and figure out all of that." Owen grabbed her hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

She smiled more genuinely. "Yeah, you're right. In a few weeks, he could totally resolve everything and things could be okay."

Owen nodded, made a strange expression, and looked back to the TV. Lily wasn't sure why he was being so awkward all of a sudden, but she shrugged it off and sat up to take another sip of wine.

Lily woke up to find herself sprawled across the wrong side of the bed. She tried to sit up but felt a dizzying sensation hit her.

"Shit," she cursed, trying to lie back down. Then she remembered what happened the night before—the wine, the ice cream, the movie… talking with Owen… Where _was_ Owen?

"Hey, Lils," he said, strolling into the bedroom.

The first thing Lily noticed was that Owen was not wearing his shirt. Then she noticed how incredibly fit and muscular he was. And then she was confused that she noticed it in the first place—she must still be drunk from the night before.

"I brought coffee," he offered, smiling genuinely. "Cream and sugar for me, just cream for you."

She sat up slowly, trying not to make herself dizzy again and smiled at him, taking the mug from his extended hand. "Thanks… So what time did we fall asleep last night?"

Owen shrugged and sat down next to her on the bed. "Who knows? It was really late… The last thing I remember is throwing away the empty wine bottle."

"And that's probably why we don't remember," she joked. "Thanks for the coffee."

"Sure… I added some hangover solution in it, so your head should feel better in a few minutes."

Lily was silently relieved. "Who said I had a hangover?"

Owen laughed. "I heard your cursing in here this morning."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, maybe just a little…"

_**A/N: I do not own Mary Poppins, I just love it. :)**_


End file.
